Sitting in a Tree
The following story is NON-CANON, an''' AU,' and is rated '''MODERATE.' theres also probably a couple of typos here and there sorry in advance Allegiances See Here Ch.1 Clouds covered the night sky and rumbled far away. Acornfur firmly believed that, once the clouds started crying, they'd drown them all as her punishment. Starclan was weeping and grumbling as she screamed and broke her code. She bit down harder on a splintering stick to suppress her cries as Starflower rubbed her paw over her stomach. For a moment Acornfur shot her paw forward, grabbing for a few herbs. Thorn helped push them forward and replaced her stick. She forced herself to swallow and took a slow, tired lick from the damp moss that Quickwater had dropped. She bit into it as another spasm overtook her body. "This is the last one, dear." Starflower mewed. Starclan, Acornfur prayed, shutting her eyes tight, Haven't I been punished enough? I will never have kits again! Thunder rumbled again as the final bundle tumbled out uncomfortably, Spare my clan and my kits, take me if you must! She didn't have time to wonder if the other clans had any queens and much less if Skystar would even let her take them over before the rain started to sprinkle down and the second kit mewled and wriggled into her belly. Starflower gave each kit a final lick and sat up. Thorn shuddered and flexed their claws. "I could feel your pain by just how rough you looked," they mewed, "If that's kitting I hope I never go through it." "Oh, no," Starflower chuckled lightly, "She had a very rough birth. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's not…" she lowered her voice, but Acornfur heard anyway, "I figure Starclan really interfered with this one." Acornfur didn't have the strength to indicate she heard. Her hindquarters still ached, and even though her kits didn't have teeth yet, their jaws bit hard. "Are they alright, Starflower?" she rasped, voice hardly in a question. She half-expected it wouldn't carry far enough for her to hear. Starflower purred and smiled, "Yes. They'll be fine. Keep them warm." The only response Acornfur could give was curling her tail around her kits. Starflower nodded. "Come now, Thorn, let's leave her to sleep." Thorn nodded and rushed out. Starflower followed more slowly, and as soon as the pointed leaves stopped shivering, Acornfur sighed and sat up, moving her tail just enough to see her kits. One was a tan-ginger, with the beginning markings of big, swirling stripes. He looked just like her mother, Hawk Swoop. The other was a reddish-brown, almost the color of blood, and covered in big, nearly-black stripes. He looked almost like… Red Claw. Acornfur sighed and shook her head. She didn't have the heart to name him Redkit. She didn't have the heart to name either, not anymore. She laid her head back down and forced her eyes shut for some well-deserved sleep. But sleep never came. Acornfur sat in the den for what felt like moons, listening to the rain drizzle down and thunder roll until it all stopped and the sun dappled in through the entrance. Skystar, she prayed, Starclan, Mothflight, Hawk Swoop, Jackdaw's Cry, Thunderstar, Lightningtail, all of you… hurt their mother, not them. They've committed no crime. Chapter Two Sparrowfur leaped forward from a branch onto a rather plump dove. She took a deep breath and jumped down, the chill of leaf-bare and the nightly rain of the past few nights made prey scarce. The bushes beside her rustled and Dewpetal emerged holding the wing of a large but thin crow, Birch holding a small squirrel. Sparrowfur nodded encouragingly despite their disappointed faces, and flicked her tail for them to head back to camp. She placed it down on a damp patch and turned to her patrol before they could enter the ferny tunnel. "You give those to the warriors," she mewed, "I'll feed Acornfur." The two nodded and entered. The clan wasn't very big, and most cats had found dry spots to curl up and sunbathe in. Sparrowfur didn't have to make any noise for Acornfur to notice her. Her kits were two weeks old now, wobbling around and trying to stand, bumping and rolling onto eachother. Her eyes were big and unblinking, dull in sorrow. Sparrowfur placed the dove at her paws and sat. "You look terrible." She blinked finally and sighed, "I know. I feel awful. I broke my code, I lost my mate…" Sparrowfur laid down, "Yeah. I feel you." Acornfur ate her dove, her kits eventually stumbling over and hooking back up to her stomach. She finished before carefully picking off every feather and piece of stray meat from one rib, breaking it off and tossing it toward her tail. "I've been thinking," Acornfur mewed as her tanner kit noticed the bone and attempted a pounce at it. "What will we tell the other medicine cats? At the Gathering and at our gathering?" "...well," Sparrowfur answered after a moment, "It's early in leafbare. Maybe you can say you got a cough until your kits are independant? Another half-moon and they won't need milk." She shook her head, "Medicine cats aren't supposed to get sick!" "Well, it's a very new position! And you're very new in it, things take time." "Starclan gave me the inability to get sick!" she burst out. Sparrowfur waited a moment for her to calm back down before responding. "Starclan messes up sometimes, Acornfur. Starclan took my mother before her time." Acornfur didn't answer, just watched her kits tumble over eachother and the bone. They mewled and squealed, the redder one easily winning their battle. "Have you named them yet?" Sparrowfur mewed, strained, hoping she could change the subject. "No," she mumbled, "I can only think of Hawk Swoop and Red Claw when I look at them." Sparrowfur nodded. It wasn't hard to see the resemblance. She curled her paws under herself. "Well, Skystar and the other leaders have been discussing a new naming system. Cats under six moons get the last name kit, over get paw, and after they become full warriors, they earn something completely unique." Acornfur nodded, though Sparrowfur wasn't sure if she was completely listening. Her heart ached to see the cat she once new as a happy warrior reduced to this heartbroken queen. "...what about Hawkkit?" she quietly asked. "Sure," he mewed, but before Sparrowfur could continue, "I can't name the other Redkit." Sparrowfur nodded, understanding. "Well, let's see… he's red… what are some other red things?" Acornfur crackled a small smile and Sparrowfur felt her heart flutter. "Well… alder bark is red," she mewed, "Maple leaves, apples, dusk…" She paused to watch her kits, "You know? What about just… Russetkit?" The kit stopped wrestling his brother and, still holding him down, looked up at his mother. Acornfur smiled and, for once, finally looked happy. She nodded. "Yes. Hawkkit and Russetkit." "Your kits are beautiful, Acornfur." She purred happily, "I know." Chapter Three Sparrowfur was crouched in the warrior den. Her denmates snored all around her, and it was moments like this she cursed her nest being in the center of the den. She watched through slitted eyes as Birch tapped out of camp guarding with Thorn. She then waited for Birch's stomach to rise and fall methodically with sleep. When it finally did, Sparrowfur padded, crouched, through the sleeping warriors. She froze as Quickwater, who slept beside her, readjusted. The den was much larger than the amount of cats in it, and it was a reasonably easy walk out, until- "MRH-!" Sparrowfur, on instinct, jumped on top of the cat, one paw pressed to their muzzle and the other to a paw. She stared wide-eyed through the fronds that covered the den. Thorn stared for a moment, then shrugged and yawned, turning back to the camp entrance. Sparrowfur released her paw from the cat, who promptly unsheathed their claws and stared up at them. Flowerfoot. "What in the name of the stars-" she hissed. "Shhh!" Sparrowfur hissed back. Flowerfoot rolled her eyes and sat up, lowering her voice, "Whatever you're doing, I'm coming." "You won't tell your dad, will you?" "Depends what you're doing." "...fair." So Flowerfoot, without care for getting caught or questioned, got up completely and walked right in front of Thorn, Sparrowfur following. Embarrassment was a stone in her stomach as she thought about what this seemed like. Flower Foot flicked her tail to dismiss Thorn's question before they could ask, and ducked down the bramble tunnel. They walked in silence for a moment and Flowerfoot lost all posture she'd had in the camp. Eventually Flowerfoot stopped, and when Sparrowfur noticed, she was a few paces ahead. She turned and pricked her ears, only for Flowerfoot to flatten her own and reach out for one of Sparrowfur's. She ducked back and felt blood start to drip down. "Flowerfoot! What is- do you have bees in your brain!" "I could ask you the same thing, stepping on my tail and then thinking it was a good idea to hold me down!" "You didn't need to wake up the den! You scream loudly, you would've woken Skystar and he'd actually tear my head off!" Flowerfoot rolled her eyes, walking forward again and not speaking further on the matter. "So, what are we doing?" "I'm going to break into Riverclan and ask Dapplepelt if she can teach me medicine while Acornfur is nursing." Flowerfoot looked at her quizzically, "Why not see Pebbleheart, or even Owleyes? They are your brothers." Sparrowfur let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Because neither Thunderstar or Shadowstar take too kindly to Skystar." "You plan on Riverstar knowing?" Sparrowfur shrugged, "Riverstar's a flowerchild. He won't care." Flowerfoot let out a purr, "Oh, Skystar'll have your head for just thinking that." "I didn't say Skystar had to know." Flowerfoot let out a light chuckle at that. When they reached the strip of shoreline, Sparrowfur dipped her ear into the cold, nightly water. The river was moderately thin and shallow there, and it was easy for a cat who didn't mind getting their feet wet to wade through. Neither Sparrowfur or Flowerfoot enjoyed it, but went on anyway. As soon as Sparrowfur's first paw touched the Riverclan border, a voice came from the reeds. "Hold it," said the voice, emerging from the reeds to reveal Mosstail, easily the most muscular Riverclan warrior, and his daughter, Drizzle. "...what's the buzz?" "This is not your matter," Sparrowfur shot back, "We must speak with Riverstar and Dapplepelt." Mosstail shrugged and flicked his tail to his daughter. Drizzle nudged them out of the river and tailed the patrol. Least to say, the last thing Sparrowfur expected to see in camp were celebrating and sparing warriors. Riverstar and Dapplepelt were sitting under the announcement rock and Riverstar gave them a slight nod to come forward, not disturbing anything. "Greetings," he mewed calmly, "What ever is happening?" Sparrowfur looked around with wide eyes. She finally managed to tear her gaze from the warriors and cleared her throat, "...may I ask first?" Riverstar smiled and purred, "Of course. Dawnmist's second litter were just able to take their first swim." "It's been a rather sleepless night," Dapplepelt added with a laugh, "They've been itching all night. They only worked up the courage at moonhigh." "Their names are Swiftkit and Emberkit," Mosstail added rather proudly for such a monotone tom. Dapplepelt nodded, "Now what seems to be the trouble?" Sparrowfur gulped and looked over for Flowerfoot, who was already off battling Pineneedle while Drizzle watched on not-too-far away. Sparrowfur decided to sit down and pray for Starclan at that moment. "Well," she lowered her voice, "Skyclan needs a bit of help, and please tell no one else what's happening, but Acornfur had kittens and we have no medicine cat." The two didn't seem shocked in the slightest bit annoyed, and the warriors were too distracted that Sparrowfur figured they didn't hear or wouldn't care enough to remember. Dapplepelt nodded. She flicked her tail and led Sparrowfur into her den. She pulled out one leaf after another, describing its appearance and scent and use. Occasionally she would stop and pull out all of the previous herbs and quiz Sparrowfur, then repeat until she got it driven into her head. She continued a long time rotating between the same herbs before Riverstar and Flowerfoot came into the den. "It's half-past moonhigh, Sparrowfur," Riverstar called. Sparrowfur nodded, but before she could leave, she quickly thanked Dapplepelt. "I would've taught you slower," she mewed back, "But leafbare is fast approaching. How old are her kits, by the way?" "Only a few weeks. Hardly walking." She nodded, then purred, "What's your excuse?" "...a cold?" "Sure. Off you get, then." Sparrowfur didn't need to be told twice and rushed off, Flowerfoot on her paws.